February/March 2017 Newsletter

From the CEO

Available, affordable housing makes for healthy communities

Steve PonTell, President and CEO National Community Renaissance

The nexus between housing and healthy communities is clear. Stable, affordable, quality housing reduces the risk of overcrowding, homelessness, exposure to environmental toxins and the undue stress of being house poor. It frees up income to be spent on health care and healthy foods, reducing the likelihood of chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease, which account for as much as 70 percent of U.S. health care costs. So where do we go from here? It starts with an acknowledgement at the local, state and federal level that we are in a crisis – one that is furthering the divide between those who have and those who don’t, decimating our middle class and undermining our ability to unite as a country. Hit hardest in all of this are those whose voices were loudest and clearest during the recent election: working-class Americans who are the backbone of this country, but increasingly can’t afford a roof over their heads. If we are truly committed to improving their lives, we can start by tearing down the walls that have discouraged the development of new housing across the country. We need to stop treating housing as a liability, but an asset that increases property values, supports local businesses and leads to healthier communities.

Specific Plan approval sparks further revitalization of San Bernardino community

Olive Meadow Artist Rendering

The City of San Bernardino has approved the National CORE-led Waterman+Baseline Neighborhood Specific Plan – a key element in the revitalization and transformation in and around our Arrowhead Grove community. The primary objective of the specific plan is to create a family-oriented living environment that emphasizes education, recreation and sustainable living, while creating bold new business and economic opportunities. The plan is broken into six specific districts in the city, and reflects the hopes and dreams of residents, businesses, educators, non-profits and government leaders who participated in more than 100 community meetings during the past six years. The plan will create a “complete community” that provides a diversity of housing, a neighborhood-serving K-12 school, a park and recreation network, neighborhood shopping opportunities, quality jobs, and appropriate infrastructure. At its core is the Arrowhead Grove Neighborhood Revitalization project – a partnership between National CORE, the City, the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, the Clancy Group and stakeholder organizations such as the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

A new era of affordability, livability and sustainability was ushered in on March 16 with the grand opening of the highly anticipated Oakcrest Terrace community in Yorba Linda, designed to meet the housing needs of the local workforce, seniors, veterans and families.

National CORE is the owner and developer of the 69-unit community, in partnership with the City of Yorba Linda. Oakcrest Terrace features an onsite 3,700 square-foot community center, a walkable neighborhood setting, an afterschool program and other supportive services. Access to employment opportunities via public transit and proximity to the 91 Freeway is a key component of the apartment home community. “As important as it is to create stable living environments, ‘housing’ and ‘affordable housing’ – in today’s world – involve so much more than four walls and a roof,” said Steve PonTell, CEO of National CORE. “Transforming lives and communities requires a much more holistic approach. Affordability, yes. Sustainability, yes. Having access to a variety of transportation options so that people can readily get to and from work, absolutely.”

On the latest edition of CORECast, Ben Metcalf, Director of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development, joins the show to discuss the state’s housing crisis and its potential solutions. Listen to the interview, plus Steve and Jonathan’s water cooler conversation on national housing news and highlights from Michael Novogradac’s popular Tax Credit Tuesday podcast.

National CORE, Hope through Housing and Affordable Housing in the News